Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to nebulizer kits and nebulizers.
Description of the Background Art
A nebulizer is a device for atomizing water, saline, drug preparations that are used to treat bronchial diseases and the like and other similar liquids to generate aerosol which is in turn taken by a user orally and/or nasally into his/her body. In recent years, an attempt has been made to aerosolize vaccines or the like for prevention of measles by the nebulizer and administer the aerosolized vaccines to the user orally and/or nasally.
Normally, a nebulizer has a main body device including a compressor generating compressed air and a nebulizer kit introducing the compressed air to generate aerosol. Such a nebulizer is disclosed in a prior art document, Japanese Patent Laying-open No. 06-285168. The nebulizer kit has a mouth piece, a mask and/or the like attached thereto as a component assisting the user for oral and/or nasal aspiration.
FIG. 14 shows a schematic configuration of a nebulizer kit in a horizontal cross section. The nebulizer kit has a spraying chamber S having a compressed air nozzle tip 301 (or an atomization unit) generally at its center to spray generated aerosol (indicated in the figure by arrows) toward the inner circumferential surface of a cylinder 300 of spraying chamber S uniformly.
However, while aerosol sprayed in a direction close to an aerosol discharge port 302 is dischargeable to aerosol discharge port 302, aerosol sprayed in a direction away from aerosol discharge port 302 (or a direction with aerosol discharge port 302 therebehind) is hardly guided to aerosol discharge port 302 rapidly.